Crown cap for bottles



' Dec. 15, 1931. 1 M N 1,837,047

CROWN CAP FOR BOTTLES Filed Sept. 23, 1929 Patented Dec. 15, 1931 IUNITED STATES Leeann norrmlmmor PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA cnown car nonBOTTLES Application filed September 23, 1929. Serial I To. 394,472.

The present invention relates to bottle closures of the crown cap typewherein a plurality of sealing zones are established between the corklining or packing of the cap and the cap seating surfaces at the mouthof the bottle after the cap has been aflixed to the bottle by theskirted crimped flange thereof. I have found from practical tests thatif the bodyowing to the varying thicknesses of the walls of the mouthsof bottles, a crown cap having $0 a depression formed therein prior toits application to the bottle should, in order to form a more perfectseal, have its cork lining or packing normally retained in a convex formthroughout, and further, it is necessary that such depression within thecap not only retain the cork in a convex form but cause the latter to beretained in seating contact with the inner surface of the mouth of thebottle after the body ortion'of the cap has been distorted, which latteris caused by the capper applying pressure to the skirted.

crimped flange when sealing the cap to the bottle. Therefore, it is anobject of the present invention to provide a crown cap with a centraldepression capable of extending within the mouthof a bottle and which,prior to its application to the bottle, will normally retain the cork ina convex form and after its application to the mouth of the bottle, will'9 retain the cork lining or packing in seating contact with not onlythe inner surface but over the entire seating surface at the mouth ofthe bottle.

Another object of the invention is to provide in a crown cap meanswhereby the cork lining thereof is concave so as to seat within themouth of the bottle and afford a greater surface contact between thework and the mouth of ,the bottle whereby a more perfect seal is formed.7

PATENT OFFICE With the above and such other objects'in v ew as mayhereinafter'more fully appear, I have invented the device shown in theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 1s a planview of myimproved bottle cap;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showingthe cap posi! tioned upon the mouth of a bottle, which latter is also insection, before the application of ressure to the cap;

igure 3 is a similar view showing the cap after it has been scaled orcapped to the bote; v I v Figure 4 is an enlarged detail sectional viewof the cap inthe position as shown in Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is another enlarged detail section al view showing the cap whenin the sealed position as shown in Figure3.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the followingspecification, arid in the several views-in the drawings in which 1indicates a bottle cap or closure of the crown type, comprising a metalcap 2, having a clamped flange 3, depending therefrom, which is adaptedto be compressed around the mouth of a bottle whereby the cork lining ordisk 4, seated within the cap, will be held tightly pressed against therim 5 of the mouth 6 of the bottle. The central portion 7 of the cap 2,is depressed to a plane below the annular edge 8 of the cap thus pro-'viding a concaved top wall 9 for the cap which wall depresses the disk 4into the mouth of the cap when the cap is pressed upon the bottle. Thebody'portion of the cap as is illustrat ed in Figures 1 and 2 of thedrawings, and prior to its application to the mouth of a bottle, isentirely depressed fromits outer edge or rim 8 in substantially aninverted truncated conical form, and owingto this particular formationof the body portion of the cap, the cork disk 4 is normally retained ina convex-concave form. 'In tie manufacture of glass b0ttles, the wallsthereof are'not of uniform thickness and consequently, the mouths of thebottles vary in diameter. By

providing a convex packing disk it is obvious i that such a disk willreadily seat itself within the mouths of bottles having varying diameters. In the application of thecap to the bottle, pressure is appliedto the outer rim 8 as well as the skirted crimped flange 3 by theordinary capping machine, whereupon the flange 3 will be forced intobinding engagement with the outer surface of the bottle and the bodyportion of the cap distorted or stretched due to this application ofpressure, until it assumes the position as is illustrated in Figure 3 ofthe drawings. From this Figure 3 of the drawings, it will also be notedthat after the application of the cap to the bottle, the marginal edgesof the cork lining will be retained in sealing contact over the rim 5 ofthe mouth of the bottle, establishing one sealing zone, whereas thedepressed portion of the cap will force this cork lining into sealingengagement with the inner surface of the mouth of the bottle, therebyestablishing another sealing zone. Owing to the fact that the corklining is normally retained in a convex form, the medial portion thereofis retained out of engagement with the central portion or flat wall 7 ofthe-cap and the partial vacuum created within the bottle after theapplication of the cap thereto, w ll have a tendency to draw the corklining into the mouth of the bottle in the manner as shown in Figure 3of the drawings, establishing a greater sealing zone between the corklmmg and the inner surface of the mouth of the bottle, and which sealingzone is maintalned due to the conical shape of the body portion of thecap.

In Figure 4 of the drawings, I have shown an enlarged detail View of thecap when first positioned upon the mouth of the bottle, as shown inFigure 2, 'and from this Figure t of the drawings, it is apparent that ow1ng to the colwex form of the cork lining prior to its application tothe bottle, that sealing zones are first established at the upper inneredge of the inner wall of the bottle, and'the cork lining at the zoneindicated by the numeral The dotted lines 12 are to represent thevarious thicknesses of the walls of the bottle, which latter is causedduring the manufacture of the same, and owing to the convex form of thiscork lining, it is quite obvious that varying sealing zones may bereadily est-ablished. In the application of the cap to the bottle, theusual capper is employed, whereupon pressure is applied to the marginalrim 8 and the skirted crimped flange 3 of the cap, whereby the marginaledge 8 will he first pressed down over the rim 5 of the bottle in themanner as'is shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, and finally, the-crimpedllange 3 engages under this rim 5 for hold: ing the cap to the bottle.From.this, it is also apparent that the cork lining 4 will be forcedover the entire upper seating surface the fact that this cork lining isout of contact with the flat wall 7 of the cap, this cork lining willnot only be forced down into the bottle but will be forced against theinner wall 10 thereof.

Having described my invention, thatv which I claim to be new anddesireto procure by Letters Patent is:

.1. A crown cap formed from a single piece of sheet metal, comprising acircular body portion, askirted crimped flange projecting downwardl fromthe outer marginal edge of said ody portion, said body portion beingentirely depressed beginning at the outer marginal edge thereof in a substantially inverted truncated conical form providing a small fiat lowerwall concentric with the outer rim of the body portion, a cork disksecured to the lower face of said body portion and normally retained ina convex form by the inverted truncated conical depression of saidcircular bodyportion.

2. The combination with a bottle having a mouth with a cap seatingsurface extending from the inner side of the bottle adjacent to themouth around the latter and down on the outer side thereof, of a sheetmetal cap of "the crown type which prior to its application to thebottle is formed to produce a ody the entire portion of which issubstantially of an inverted truncated conical configuration having alowerconcentric flat wall of less diameter than that of the mouth of thebottle, a skirted crimped flange formed with and depending from theouter marginal edge of said body portion of the cap for engaging theouter side of the bottle when the cap is applied thereto, a cork disksecured to the lower face of the body portion of the cap and which priorto its application to the bottle being normally retained in convex form,said cap when applied to the bottle will cause said cork disk to extendinto the mouth thereof and said body portion retaining a portion of itsoriginal inverted truncated conical form after application of the cap tothe bottle whereby said cork disk will be held in seating contact withsaid inner seating surface adjacent the mouth of the bottle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' LEONARD HOFFMANN.

of the rim 5 of the bottle, thereby establish

